The Effect Of L2 Experience On CESLLS’ Perception And Production Of English Pure Vowels

Accurate vowel perception and production is significant for communicaters to understand and to be understood. A huge number of studies on L2 vowel learning have focused on native language influence. On the research of native language influence, the effect of L2 experience becomes a hotspot these years. Most studies investigate the effect of L2 experience on L2 learning under an L2 speaking environment. In this case, L2 experience equals to LOR/L2 exposure or AOA in the target environment or the blend of the two. For most CESLLs, residence in the target environment is impossible. Few studies on L2 experience are done under an L1 speaking context. The present study is conducted to investigate the effect of L2 experience on the learning of English pure vowels in Chinese Mailand English learning environment with L2 experience defined in terms of fomal instruction with L2 exposure. It is expected to contribute to the understanding of the effect of L2 experience on L2 learning at home. It is also expected to provide teaching suggestions on English vowel learning at home.Two research questions are raised for this purpose:1. How does L2 experience affect CESLLs’ perception of English pure vowels?2. How does L2 experience affect CESLLs’ production of English pure vowels?In order to find answers for these research questions, an empirical study containing two tests are carried out to check the performance of both perception and production of English pure vowels across L2 experience groups.Subjects chosen in this study are 20 senior English majors(H+E group), 20 junior English majors(L+E group) and 20 junior non-English majors(L-E group), according to different amount of L2 exposure and formal instruction.In the perception test, subjects listened to the sound file as many time as they need to identify standard pure vowels and length-changed pure vowels in b Vd frame adapted from standard pure vowels produced by a Dutch phonetician whose speech is approved by IPA as RP.In the production test, subjects were guided to read 10 pure vowels in h Vd contexts in sequence each for twice with the duration of 1-2 seconds.Three major findings are obtained from the analyses of the data collected and discussion of the results.1. Different formal instruction alone and the combination of formal instruction and the amount of L2 exposure have influence while the incremental L2 exposure alone during college life in traditional Chinese university environment is inefficient on CESLLs’ the perception of English pure vowels. Different formal instruction combined with more L2 exposure have positive effect on the discrimination of the vowel contrasts /i:/-/i/ and /a:/-/?/. Different formal instruction is effective on the discrimination of the vowel contrast /a:/-/?/.2. Different formal instruction alone and the combination of formal instruction and the amount of L2 exposure have influence while the incremental L2 exposure alone during college life in traditional Chinese university environment is inefficient on CESLLs’ production of English pure vowels. The combination of formal instruction and the amount of L2 exposure are efficient on the production of English vowels /i/, /a:/, /?/ and /e/. Different formal instruction alone is efficient on the production of English /a:/, /?/, /e/ and /?/.3. CESLLs’ identification of the contrast pair /e/ and /?/ is best, the pair of /a:/ and /?/, the pair of /i:/ and /i/ followed in rank, and the pairs of /u:/ and /u/ and /?:/ and /?/ are worst.Furthermore, SLM and PAM are predicable for the performance of CESLLs’ perception and production of English pure vowels. Teaching and learning suggestions are arised from the findings that phonetic knowldge such as tongue position diagram of vowel pronounciation is helpful in L2 teaching.